This invention relates in general to vehicle wheels and in particular to a circumferential retention shoulder formed in a surface of a vehicle wheel rim that cooperates with a wheel balance weight barb to retain the wheel balance weight upon the vehicle wheel.
It is necessary to install balance weights on the rims of vehicle wheels to achieve proper balance of the combined mass of the wheel and the tire mounted upon the wheel. Proper balance of a wheel and tire is desirable to prevent vibrations which may otherwise occur at certain wheel speeds. Referring now to the drawings, a typical prior art wheel balance weight is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. The wheel balance weight 10 includes an arcuate shaped lead weight 12 that is cast over a spring steel clip 14. The upper portion of the clip 14 has an opening 16 formed therethrough. A barb 18 formed in the clip 14 extends into the opening 16.
The wheel balance weight 10 is attached to an outward axially extending lip 20 formed on the outboard side of a wheel rim tire bead retaining flange 22, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The location of the weight 10 upon the flange lip 20 is determined during a conventional wheel balancing process. The clip 14 is crimped or hammered into place upon the flange lip 20 once the proper position is determined. Additionally, the barb 18 is crimped or hammered into the surface of the flange lip 20 to further secure the wheel balance weight 10 to the wheel rim.
It is known to extend the outboard portion of the wheel rim flange lip 20 to create a larger gripping surface for the clip 14 and to confine the lead weight 12 at the outer perimeter of the lip 20. This allows the lead weight 12 to be positioned against the flange 22 and completely under the flange lip 20, as illustrated in FIG. 2.
It also is know in the art, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,016, to form a circumferential retention groove 24 in the radial outer portion of the wheel rim flange lip 20, as shown in FIG. 3. An alternate embodiment 23 of the wheel balance weight is used with the retention groove 24. Instead of having a barb 18, as described above, the wheel balance weight 23 includes a spring clip 14 having an upper end 26 that is folded over to form a bead 28. The bead 28 has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the retention groove 24. The wheel balance weight 23 is attached by snapping the spring clip bead 28 into the retention groove 24. The clip 14 does not actually contact the outboard surface of the flange lip 20. Accordingly, the wheel surface is not marred by attachment and removal of the wheel balance weight 23.